Jul 26, 2012

She said it quietly, without much emphasis, simply stating
what she considered a fact. Before I
could respond she continued, “I haven’t tasted anything you cooked that wasn’t
good.”

photo credit: 123rf.com

My friend Mandie visited me for the first time this
summer. It was a visit almost twelve
years in the making. Long before she
came I made it known I didn’t consider myself the best cook. I told her how well my sisters cooked but not
me. I wanted to make sure I warned her in advance just in case she didn’t enjoy
my cooking. The fact is she did enjoy my sisters’ food but
she enjoyed my own also.

Long after she left, her words played over and over in my
mind. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Mandie’s words reminded me of something a church sister spoke in
prayer meeting lately. She said, “All
God wants you to do is your best. So, whatever
you do, do it to the best of your ability.”
In the final analysis, God is not looking for the best cook, the snappiest
dresser, the most creative homemaker or the most eloquent blogger. God is
looking for people who will use their gifts and abilities whatever they may be,
for his service and in service to others.

So even if we’re not what we consider to be the best at what
we do, when we yield our gifts to God and allow him to use them He is pleased wit us. And if God is pleased we should be alright
with that.

What about you? Do
you often find yourself downplaying your gifts to others because you sincerely believe that what you do does not measure up?

Jul 16, 2012

What would you say if I told you that two killers were on the
loose in your neighborhood and you were accused of aiding and abetting them? I’m
sure you’d never do something like that… or would you? Well believe it or not
it’s true.

There are two
killers on the loose and they are hiding out in a place you least suspect.
These two killers are the best in the world. No matter how many times they are
captured they always manage to escape.

They are more
sinister than those behind the September 11th attacks, more terrifying than the
deadliest diseases, and more intimidating than the fiercest bully.

These two always work together. In fact it’s in togetherness that they get their power.
They have no respect for age; they kill young and old alike. However, they don’t kill the flesh, that’s much too obvious after all you may catch on and
try to protect yourselves and your love ones.

These killers are
after something else. If allowed to go unchecked they will destroy your dreams,
your faith and your hope for a bright and beautiful future. They will reduce
you to doubting your abilities, your purpose for being and your very worth as a
person. These two assassins will not be found walking the streets, or hiding in
bushes, in fact they hide in the most unlikely place… your mouth. These killers
that I’m talking about are two simple words that we use countless times
throughout the day.

The two assassins
that I speak of, the killers of dreams, the instigators of doubt are the wordsI can’t.

What gives these
words so much power is that they cause you to kill your own dreams without
realizing. Every time you say I can’t a little piece of your dream dies because
in essence you’re saying I’m not even going to try.

Many of us today
are less than we should be, less than we want to be and less than God called us
to be because we have allowed these assassins free reign over our lives. We
have allowed it so much that many times we won’t even try anything new. Every time
we are presented with a new challenge the first words out of our mouths are the
words I can’t.

I dare you as of
this moment to say something different. I dare you to stop letting those two
dream killers have free reign in your life. I dare you to instead of saying I
can’t say I’m going to try. You may not succeed at everything you try to do but
at least you’re putting yourself in race.

This article was
originally the introduction to a sermon I gave during a Youths’ Day service several
years ago. I’ve been thinking a lot
about achieving dreams lately so I decided to share this again. I’ll probably be doing another post about
dreams and goals soon as I continue to think out loud.

Jul 3, 2012

These heartfelt words came from the young gentleman who was helping me with my groceries. “Really, did something special happen today?” I asked him. He went on to tell me that he had gotten his report card that day and he was excited because he had done so well. When we reached to my car he reached into his pocket, pulled out his report card and proudly showed it to me. I’d never met this young man but I was happy to share in his excitement. I told him to keep up the good work and that I was proud of him. I had about $7.00 left after paying for my groceries so I gave it to him and told him to take that as a small reward for his excellent report card. He left me with a bright smile on his face feeling happy that someone took time to share in his success.

As I got into my car, I thought about that short moment in time and I was thankful that I didn’t miss it. It took but a moment of my time to make someone’s day. But, many times I’m guilty of allowing busyness to cause me to not be present in the moment...